Brake-lever for railroad-cars



No. 607,595. v Patented July l9, I898.

1. H. BAKER.

BRAKE LEVER FOR RAILROAD GARS. (Application filed May 18, 1896.)

W01 74 an"! UNITED STATES- PATENT @rrrcn.

JAMES H. BAKER, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BAKER FORGE COMPANY, OF ELLWVOOD CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BRAKE-LEVER FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,595, dated July 19, 1898.

Application filed May 18, 1896. Serial No. 591,924. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES H. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Brake-Levers for Railroad-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings,which make part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan showing brake-lever with ends broken err. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the reinforcing-plugl Fig. 3 is a broken plan showing reinforcingplug inserted in. hole punched in bar. 4 is a section on line IV IV of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section through bar and plug after latter has been crushed down and partly punched. Fig. 6 is an edge view of the reinforcing-strap which may be used at the ends of the levers. Fig. 7 shows the end of the lever when reinforced by means of strap G, and Fig. 8 is a broken plan showing end of lever when the reinforcing-plug seen in Fig. 2 is used in place of the strap of Fig. 6.

My invention, generally stated, relates to a new form of brake-lever for railroad-cars. By my improvements I reduce the weight of the brake-lever by about, one-third of its present weight without impairing its strength. As there are several of these levers used in a car, the saving in weight of material and in hauling weight is important.

Brake levers as heretofore constructed have generally been made of flat wrought-iron or steel bars of about three inches by one inch in cross-section. No reduction in crosssection is permissible because the lever would be too weak about the pin-holes. My brakelever is substantially of the same length and width; but its cross-section is I-shaped except where reinforced about the pin-holes, by which it is attached to the connecting ends of the brake-rods.

My improved brake-lever may be made in different ways; but I prefer to make it by a special method and by the consecutive steps describedbelow. My reasons for adopting this method are to reduce the labor and to insure the best texture of the metal at the not only is the distribution of the metal imwelding heat.

Fig.

portant, but its condition to resist strain and pressure equally so.

In the practice of my invention I take a bar A, substantially I-shaped in cross-section, and punch a hole large enough to receive the plug B, where each pin-hole is to be made to connect with the connecting ends of the brakerods. I then heat the bar to a bright red heat in its web and a low red in its flanges. At the same time I bring the plug B to'a I then insert the plug 13 into the hole 0, as seen in Figs. 3 and i, and, placing the parts between suitable dies, I crush the plug down into the bar, making a reinforcement around the pin-hole, as shown at D, Figs. 1 and 8. In doing this crushing I have the dies shaped and proportioned so that a sufficient relative pressure is brought to bear on the work, putting especial stress on the edges of the bar, so as to secure the desired density of the metal at that point. The plug B is preferably made large'enough so that it will swell the bar opposite the pin-hole at the points EE. (Seen in Fig. 1.) This feature permits me to use the smallest admissible size of bar and still secure ample strength around the pin-hole. In order to still further save labor and to obtain the desiredcondition of metal around the pin-hole, I prefer to make the dies so as to partly punch the hole from each side at the same time that I weld the plug or piece in, as seen at F F in Fig. 5,

although the hole may be punched inde- This makes a safe'weld and also avoids the overheatingof the flanges of the bar which "would chafe them away and'prevents the opening up of the fiber or pores of the bars. Where it is desirable to have some latitude in the spot for punching the hole at the ends of the lever, I take a strap G (seen at Fig. 6)

instead of the plug B and by suitable dies weld the same by the same method to the end of the bar, giving the reinforcement D. (Seen in Fig. 7.)

Having described my invention, I claim- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set A wrought-metal brake-lever of I-beam my hand this 7th day of April, A. D. 1896. section having Welded at 1ts pin-hole a reln- JAMES H BAKER forcing-piece of sufficient size to make the 5 thickness of the Web of the I-beam at that WVitnesses:

point substantially equal to the Width of the M. K. OOSTER, flanges. WM. L. PIERCE. 

